


Shoulder to Shoulder

by Karuke



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Also scary Kenma, But they're cute friends!, Fluff, Friendship, He's intimidating when he's serious, Injury Recovery, Minor Injuries, They're just friends, sorry to dash your hopes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-15
Updated: 2017-04-15
Packaged: 2018-10-19 09:22:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10636959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Karuke/pseuds/Karuke
Summary: After a minor injury keeps him benched, Hinata's having a hard time keeping up his usual cheerful self.





	

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this, quick and short, as a gift to a friend after she had a long night at work. I have to admit, I did waver about whether or not the ending would be romantic or platonic.... but I love all their friendships too much. So I kept it platonic. This one is strictly PG, guys. Enjoy!

In retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have been riding his bike in the rain. But the storm had started so suddenly and Hinata was tired from practice. He just wanted to get home before he caught a cold.  
Of course, the car that came out of the driving rain was just as surprised to see him as he was to see it. 

Hinata was absent from school. Kageyama blinked as roll was called and Hinata was conspicuously not there. Like… Not even just-barely-making-it-in-time late. He didn’t think much about it until lunch time rolled around and Yachi came looking to give Hinata a copy of some of her notes.  
“Is Hinata-kun not here today?”  
"I guess not."  
"Really? That's odd. I wonder if something happened..."  
The next day, when Hinata did show up for class, he had a livid bruise on half of his face, a large bandage on part of his forehead, and his left arm sat in a sling. The class, all of whom, it seemed, were fond of him, immediately surrounded him. In between flushes of embarrassment that made the bruise on his cheek seem even darker and explanations as to what happened, Kageyama managed to get out the most important question on his mind.  
"What about volleyball?!"

Practice that afternoon was a tense and frought affair. Hinata, with a dislocated shoulder, wouldn't be playing for several weeks. The team felt the loss. They also felt the frustration as Hinata sat on the sidelines of the gym, still in his school uniform, with one arm in a sling and a stare so intense that even Daichi missed a serve because of it. But Coach Ukai didn't have the heart to tell him off. The boy had been crying while he explained what happened, the slow trickle of tears fighting not to show.  
When Hinata's phone buzzed in his pocket, he nearly jumped. His deep, frustrated focus now disturbed, he checked the text message he had received.  
It was rare for Kenma to message him first. 

_Our coach is trying to set up a practice game with you guys in two weeks._

This nearly sent a fresh wave of tears down Hinata's face. Nekoma was probably coming to practice with them and he wouldn't be able to play. Wouldn't be able to play against his school's rivals, against his friends. He scrubbed his face on his sleeve and took a quick selfie, making sure to smile and flash a "V" with the hand in the sling. 

_Whaaaaat?! Aww, man! I'm gonna miss the game!_

Kenma's reply was almost instantaneous. 

_What happened to you? Kuroo wants to know who you fought. You didn't fight anyone, did you? I told him you're too dumb to pick a fight._

_Ahh, I lost a fight with a car! Now I'm going to mis practice for, like, eight weeks. It's gonna be summer break before I can play again! I'm so mad!!!! >:(_

_Eight weeks is a long time._

_I know, right?! And my bike is ruined now too, and my parents won't buy me a new one until my shoulder heals. AND I can't even exercise!_

_I'm sorry._

The walk home after practice was a long one. His parents wouldn't replace his bike, but they certainly weren't going to drive him anywhere either and the busses didn't run very close to his home. He took them anyway, if only so he didn't have to carry his bag the whole way home. Hinata tried being cheerful, bantering with the rest of the team as they walked along, splitting up as they went their separate ways. At last, it was just Hinata and Yachi waiting at the bus stop.  
"S-so," Yachi said into the darkening gloom. "Coach Ukai says that he's already working on a rehab routine for you, for when your doctor says you can resume exercise."  
"Mm." Hinata stared off into the sunset.  
"And I heard him mention to Sensei that it might be a good opportunity to train you into spiking with both arms."  
"Mm."  
"Hinata-kun!" Yachi turned suddenly and grabbed Hinata's good hand. "You'll heal quickly! Don't worry, you'll play again soon! So... So don't look so down!"  
Hinata blinked, then grinned, squeezing Yachi's hand with his own. "Yeah!"  
When his bus came, he boarded with a smile and sat down to play on his phone while he waited for his stop. 

_I'm so bored now! I can't do anything any more. :(_

__

__

_It would be a good time to study and bring your grades up._

__

_Geh! You sound like Tsukishima. I can't focus on studying with all this energy I can't spend at Volleyball._

_You can still use your hand, right? You could play a game._

_Ohhhh...! Good idea! Hey, hey, what's good right now?_

_Hmm.... Monster Fantasy 2 just came out, you might like that one._

He did. Hinata never played during practice, preferring instead to watch and cheer his teammates. But at home at night Hinata played his new game and bugged Kenma whenever he got stuck, which was constantly.  
"Ahhh! No! Bahafrit is doing that thing with the fireballs again! I'm gonna die!"  
"Did you have your heal mage cast shield?"  
"Yes!"  
On the other end of the call, Kenma sighed. "Then you'll be fine."  
And, of course, Hinata thought as he watched the battle animation, Kenma was right. His party came through the attack with barely any damage. "Ohhh! Neat! Now I counter-attack, right?"  
"Yes." Kenma stared at his own copy of the game, where he was considerably father along.  
"So... Shield is like blockers, right? It stops the attack so my team can do a synchronized attack." Kenma was silent as he listened to Hinata. "It's like in volleyball."  
"Do you think of everything in terms of volleyball?"  
"More or less. I love volleyball. Don't you? Ah! No, don't kill my heal Mage!" Hinata shifted his good shoulder to better cradle his cell phone against his ear.  
"Mm."  
"Oh hey, you have off Thursday and Friday next week, right? After finals."  
"Yeah." Nekoma' club was taking the week off, too. Several of their members had family trips those days, and it was easier to take a break than try to work with only a couple of people.  
"You should come visit!"  
Kenma almost let the phone slip off his shoulder in surprise. "Eh?"  
"Yeah! My parents said you could, and Karasuno is taking a break those days. Isn't Nekoma? So we're both free."  
"Shoyo that's almost a four hour bus ride." He could hear Hinata shifting around on the other end, obviously fidgeting.  
"Is the fare too expensive? I didn't think about that before I asked."  
The silence drew out so long that Hinata paused his game and set it aside, flopping down on his back and wincing when it jostled his shoulder. His small grunt snapped Kenma out of his thoughtfulness and he shrugged as if Hinata could see him. "I'll ask."  
"Really?! Cool!"

The next day at practice, the team was more than slightly unnerved at Hinata' sunny smile. They'd grown used to his frustrated sighs and obviously disappointed cheering so the sudden 180 switch in attitude was even more unsettling than the initial dour silence had been.  
"He's been like that since lunch break," Kageyama said when they took a water break. "I think studying for finals has finally snapped him."  
Sugawara made a face. "Did you even ask him what was up?"  
Kageyama frowned in confusion. "No. Why would I?"  
"Maybe he got a girlfriend?" Yamaguchi supplied, wiping sweat off his face on the back of his arm. Suddenly, the team went still and silent.  
"Heeeey!" Nishinoya charged over to the wall where Hinata was sitting, playing on his phone. "Hinata, what's with the grin?"  
"Yeah, you've been moping all week. Don't stop now, we were getting used to the peace and quiet." Tsukishima's remark made Hinata scrunch up his face in annoyance.  
"You're always so miserable, someone has to be cheerful to make up for it!" Hinata retorted, dodging aside just in time to make Nishinoya miss his dive towards his bad shoulder. "Kenma is going to come visit."  
DaichI frowned. "Kenma... Nekoma's setter?"  
"Yeah! They have off at the same time we do, so he's gonna come visit."  
This stirred some small amount of surprise.  
Asahi blinked. "But Hinata... Doesn't he live, like, four and a half hours away by bus?"  
"It's only a little over three hours if he takes the train most of the way, and I'll meet him where the train transfers to the bus. So it won't be so bad." Hinata grinned.  
"All right, all right, back to practice!" The team returned to court as Ukai rounded them up again. Yachi sat down next to Hinata.  
"Yachi-san, are you okay?"  
"I'm fine!" Yachi smiled and leaned back against the wall. "I wanted to ask you the same thing. How is your shoulder?"  
"Mm." Hinata shrugged with his right shoulder, consciously keeping the left from moving. "It still hurts, but not as badly. And the doctor said the swelling is going down so he should let me take the sling off this week as long as I promise not to move it too much."  
"Ooh! That's fast. My mom said you'd probably heal really fast because you're young and in shape."  
"That's what my doctor said too. I still won't be able to play for weeks, though..."  
Yachi watched as Hinata's face fell. "W-well, but, so... So Kenma-kun is coming to visit, right? That will be fun. Do you have any plans for while he's here?"  
"Not really." Hinata merely shrugged one shoulder again. "He isn't the go-out-and-do-stuff type, you know? Besides, it'll be fun to just hang out."  
"Good!" Yachi reached suddenly and grabbed Hinata's hand, squeezing it tightly in both of her own. "You were so down the past two weeks, we were all really worried! You're normally so sunny, it effects everyone when you're down..."  
Across the gym, Takeda-sensei leaned in to Ukai with a gentle smile. "It seems Hinata is feeling a little better today."  
Ukai glanced over, then returned his attention to the drills everyone was running. "Thank god for that. He was bad for team morale, but I just didn't have the heart to throw him out."  
"The team really is quite close, aren't they? It's good that they're so in tune, but I guess in cases like this, it can be a bad thing too."  
"They'll get over it. I'm more worried about his recovery..."

Hinata waited at the train station, leaning against a support and scanning the passengers as they disembarked. When a familiar blonde-and-black head appeared, he waved with one arm and yelled. Kenma nearly lost sight of Hinata in the crowd as he headed over, but when he arrived and made a little wave, Hinata nearly exploded with excitement. "Kenma! How was the trip?"  
"It's only partly over. We still have 20 minutes by bus to get to your home, don't we?" he readjusted the duffel slung over one shoulder and stuffed his hands into the pockets of his hoodie. "Doesn't the bus arrive soon?"  
"Oh! Yeah, we need to go." They headed to the bus stop together, chatting. People stared quietly at the loud, small boy and his quiet friend, but Kenma couldn't say anything to slow Hinata's bubbly attitude.  
"My mom wants to know what your favorite food is," Hinata said, looking at his phone. "So she can make it for dinner."  
"Oh. Um, whatever is fine."  
"What...ever..." Kenma watched Hinata type out his careful response. "Oh! I have to warn you, Natsu is really excited that you're coming over. She's probably gonna get in the way all night."  
"Natsu? Oh, is that your sister?" Kenma's phone went off in his pocket, and he pulled it out as the bus pulled up to the stop.  
"Yeah."  
Kenma glanced down at his phone when they were seated and instantly made a face. He typed a short reply and shoved it away in his pocket again. Hinata stared.  
"Is everything okay?"  
"It's fine, it was nothing."  
"Okay."

_Kuroo: Enjoy your romantic getaway with Hinata-kun~_

The storm rolled in shortly after dinner. It came quickly and strong, as they often did in the mountains. Rain hit the windows like tiny spears, and Kenma was only mildly surprised that Hinata's sister was afraid of thunder and sought refuge with her mother when the power flickered briefly. They two of them sat shoulder to shoulder on the floor, their backs resting against Hinata's bed. He had pulled out his game and was demanding that Kenma walk him through a puzzle when the power went out altogether.  
"Ah, it'll be back on soon," Hinata said. elsewhere in the house, he heard Natsu squeal. "Storms like this don't usually last long."  
"Shoyo, you're going to miss the timer."  
"Shoot!" his attention went back to the game, and Kenma took a moment to watch Hinata's face in the glow from the screen.  
"Has your doctor said when you'll be able to play again?"  
The silence fell just as quickly as the storm outside, and only the sound of distant thunder kept it from being too awkward as Hinata stared fixedly at the game in his hands, trying to navigate a particularly difficult part. "I'm allowed to have the sling off now, but I'm still not allowed to lift any weight or anything."  
"I..." Kenma looked down at the game, leaning in on Hinata's good side to get a better view, "I hope we'll get to play when you're back in shape."  
Hinata stiffened slightly, struggling not to shiver as strands of Kenma's hair tickled his neck. "Definitely."  
"Has your coach started coming up with a rehab plan for you?"  
"Yeah. He's gonna borrow some weights from another department and work with me in the mornings before school."  
"Good."  
"Yeah."  
The lights came on with a flickering pop, and Hinata glanced up just in time to smack Kenma in the face with his head. "Oh! Oh no! I'm sorry! Are you okay, Kenma?"  
Kenma sat back, rubbing his nose as tears involuntarily formed. "I'm okay."  
"You know, you scared me when you sent that picture."  
Hinata blinked, staring wide-eyed at Kenma. "I didn't mean to, I didn't think you would worry that much."  
"You just sent a picture of yourself with a bruise on half your face and your arm in a sling. What about that isn't worrying? Even Kuroo was concerned."  
Hinata set his game aside and rubbed carefully at his bad shoulder. "I'm sorry. If it makes you feel better I had to call my mom from the hospital."  
"Why would that make me feel better?" Kenma frowned. "I'm sure she was terrified, too. You need to take better care of yourself."  
"Yeah." Hinata hung his head.  
"Who is gonna put Kageyama in his place if you hurt yourself really badly? No one else is crazy enough to deal with him."  
Hinata sat in lectured silence.  
"Who am I gonna play against next year if you have to quit?"  
"Well, I mean, we're not the only team-"  
"The only team that matters."  
Hinata looked up, one hand gripping the hem of his shirt.  
"I want to play you in volleyball. A real game, winner takes all."  
"Yeah, but-"  
Kuroo had said once that the only things he got worked up about were games, Lev, and Hinata. Well, maybe that was true. "I won't get to do that if you get hurt again."  
"I-I get it..."  
"Do you?"  
Hinata stared. Kenma had a strange look in his eye, one that he didn't even get during a game. It was an expression he'd never seen before. "Yes?"  
"Good. Don't let it happen again."  
"O-okay."  
"Kenma you can be really scary sometimes."  
"Your mage just died," Kenma replied, pointing at the game that Hinata had only put down, not turned off.  
"What?! Aw, man...!"


End file.
